After nearly four months, Ladder 4 is officially back in full service at the Flint.
During that time, Ladder 4’s crew operated with reserve Ladder 3—a significantly older apparatus with a shorter aerial, half the complement of ground ladders, and greater difficulty positioning because it is not a tractor-drawn aerial.
The return of Ladder 4 is certainly welcome. It restores the company’s full aerial and ground ladder capabilities and puts the apparatus back where it belongs: in front-line service.
But the situation also highlights a larger concern—the age of our current ladder fleet.
Ladder 4 is now entering its 15th year of front-line service, the final year under the NFPA standard referenced for a front-line aerial apparatus.
And the reserve apparatus that replaced it? Ladder 3 is already 19 years beyond the NFPA standard referenced for a reserve ladder.
That’s right—19 years past the standard.
For now, we’re glad to have Ladder 4 back at the Flint and fully operational. But its return is also a reminder that maintaining a modern, reliable ladder fleet is critical to ensuring our firefighters have the equipment they need when they need it.
— Fall River Firefighters Union, Local 1314
